Catalina de Montreal

The overnight bus to Uyuni was supposed to arrive at 7....but somehow it managed to arrive at 5:30, which meant that I had to walk around for ahwile searching for a hostel:( However, me and some others managed to find one that let us put our things down and rest, before booking our tour of the salt flats. I had originally planned to do a four day tour, but due to the cold weather and snow, some parts of the usual tour were unreachable. Therefore, I shortened it to 1 day. The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt. Our tour took us to the train cemetary, salt hotel and incahuasi island.....and as the pictures will attest to it was beautiful, especially ... read more

La Paz is definitely cold at night! I was really thankful that the hostel I stayed at was nice to provide us with extra blankets:). We arrived pretty late, but me and Dania, a girl who had travelled with me to La Paz, had some food and a celebratory drink at the Hostel Bar...to celebrate arriving safely before going to bed. The next day, I was woken up to a marching band. I had arrived during ¨El dia de La Paz¨and they were celebrating 200 years since the city gained its independence. However, the coolest thing is that the actual day of the event is the 16th....but in Bolivia they celebrate the event all week! I think Canada should take a page out of their book....why celebrate one day when you can celebrate 7! I actually ... read more

The journey to Copacabana was supposed to be straightforward ....take a bus to Puno, wait an hour and change buses to Copacabana. Arriving 2 hours early, before the sun had even risen, and spending 3 hours in the bus station did not really figure into my orginial plans. However, I guess that is part of the adventure of travelling! I did eventually arrive in Copacabana at around 12....and Lake Titicaca was even more beautiful than I ever expected! It was so blue and pure. I felt really fortunate to spend the day on the beach, basking in the sun and taking in my surroundings. I was also really happy to discover a great restaurant (La Cupula)....where I could have a soup, a main course, and a glass of wine for $10! The next day, I woke ... read more

I came to Lima with low expecations, as many travellers I met had few positive words for the city. At the end of my visit I had to concur with what I had been told...my experience in Lima was ok....but forgettable. I must admit that I spent most of the first day sleeping, as I had a cold. Therefore, the only thing I did of note on my first day was to walk a couple of blocks to check out the Pacific Ocean. However, on Saturday, I made the effort to go to Central Lima and check out the Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Martin and the Catacombs from San Francisco Convent, and still left feeling unimpressed. The evening somewhat made up for this feeling, as I met up with a friend of a friend´s and ... read more

After a long journey that took me over 24 hours, I finally reached Huanchaco... and the first thing I did when I arrived was shower! I was especially happy because there was hot water...which is always a bonus! However, after this I realized that I had arrived on the Fiesta de San Pedro, and since Huanchaco is a fishing village and San Pedro is the patron saint of fisherman, there were festivities in town. When I arrived in the hostel I had met a girl who was actually working in Gaspesie, Quebec, so we went out have some ceviche (a peruvian specialty of raw fish, lime and onions) and then went to a party that was going on in town. It was great to take in the music and the dancing:) However, I was too tired ... read more

The journey to relaxation took me 4 hours and two bus rides, but at around noon on Friday I finally arrived in Banos. As the city´s name suggests it is known for its thermal baths, which is the main reason I came here. The city is pretty much as touristy as they come, but sometimes it´s nice to have travel made easy. When I got in to Banos I dropped my things off and went to lunch, where I ate a burrito, and met some American girls who were volunteering/travelling through Ecuador. After this I was off to the baths, which are essentially cold/warm pools that comes from hydrothermal springs in the area. The experience was relaxing except for the fact that I met an Ecuadorean, who had done an exchange in Quebec, who was intent ... read more

Today was the day I had to say goodbye to my travel buddy, Amanda, as she was returning to Canada, and I was continuing my travels through South America. The prospect of travelling alone for a month had me a little scared, but part of travelling is conquering fears and seizing new opportunities...so I left my worries in Bogota and flew off to Ecuador. When I touched down in Quito, I got my luggage put it in my hostel and decided I should take the afternoon to explore this new city. Quito is a city of magestic views, as it is spread across the Andean Valley. Therefore, I decided to spend my first day taking in some of these breathtaking views. However, Quito is 2850m above sea level, so climbing stairs and walking up hills definintely ... read more

I have always enjoyed the slogan of the Montreal Gazette, which states that ¨bigger is better,¨ but after visiting Bogota, I am not quite sure that I stll believe in this mantra. Bogota is the capital of Colombia, it has around 7 million inhabitants and spans approx. 22 kms. and is a sea of buildings. Therefore, it is easy to understand that it is a little hard not to feel a little lost in this concrete jungle.... When we arrived in Bogota on Sunday, most things were closed.....so we decided to visit a museum. One of the best museums in Colombia is their Gold Museum, and it is quite an impressive sight. It had a number of exhibits including the origins of gold, its uses as well as its symbolism, so it was quite educational. Another ... read more